Race day was full of hustle and bustle, with moments of calm. There was the official photograph, drivers parade, formation lap, and then lining up on the grid for the start. The lights went out and we took off. There was some drama up ahead right away, but after a couple laps I was in a rhythm. I had a few battles and overtakes in the race, but it was otherwise uneventful. When I crossed the finish line I was ecstatic to be in the points.
I saw Sangil and my family right away, but after hugs I had to go fulfill obligations. I wondered if having him at every race was what he would want to do in the future. Maybe he would be bored. There were hours when he didn't see me.
When I walk out of the debriefing room, I almost hit the WGM cameraman. "We have permission to film," he explains, handing me a microphone set. "Can you mic up?"
"Sure," I nod. "Just give me a sec." I slip into my room at the hospitality suite and clip the mic pack on, and snake the cord through my shirt. After a glance in the mirror, and minor adjustments to my hair, I head out. "Have you seen Sangil?" I ask the cameraman, who is waiting outside the door.
"In the dining area."
It's been over an hour since the race ended, and I know we have to clear out soon so the staff can take apart the structure and send it to the next location.
I take the stairs down, and weave through the small crowd, smiling and greeting people as I walk by. I see Sangil at a table with some of my siblings. "Hi," I say as I drop a kiss on the top of his head, before dropping into a seat myself.
He looks at me with slight confusion. Maybe he didn't understand what I did. "How are you?" he inquires.
"Tired. And finished with Formula One for the day." I look at my siblings. "Did you guys enjoy the race?"
"Yes," says Mirai. "But not enough retirements."
I laugh. "Three isn't enough?"
"No. I want to be at a race where half the grid DNFs, and there's a couple crashes, safety cars, and time penalties for everyone."
"Formula One might not be your sport. That sounds like a bad race to a driver," I tell her.
"Unless you're one of the lucky ones. You were lucky today," she continues. "No contact with other cars, your car didn't break down, good calls from your team on pit stops. Nice job."
"Thanks." I turn to Sangil. "It's time for us to get going. Let me say goodbye to my family, then it's married time." My siblings call the others, and we hug as we part ways. The crew get some footage of us walking through the paddock. I hear my name called several times, and I smile and wave, but don't stop. At the hotel I take a shower and get dressed, then do my makeup. I'm wearing a white eyelet dress, since it's close to white day (which was three days ago). I quickly throw my hair up in a chignon and spray on a newly purchased perfume. Now I'm fully ready.
I knock on the door to Sangil's room. He opens up with a flourish. "My lady," he bows. "These are for you." He's holding a bouquet of white peonies.
"Sangil!" I exclaim. "I adore them. Thank you so much." I smell them, and am delighted that they have a pleasant scent, which sometimes store bought flowers lack. "Even though I don't know Australia much more than you, allow me to show you what I've learned this past week." Or looked up on the internet, or asked Daniel (the Australian F1 driver). Anyways. "Dinner on a ship is first on the agenda."
The ship is large and beautiful, with a spacious deck. We stand near the railing at the stern and look at the waves. "How did you truly feel about this week?" I ask Sangil. "Do you think you can do this sixteen more times?"
YOU ARE READING
Unexpected
FanfictionA fanfic about a fictional female Formula One driver and a member of the Kpop boy group Snuper, who are paired together on We Got Married.